German Player Cheats $390,000 in Online Poker

An online poker player is currently under investigation in Germany on charges that he used a Trojan horse virus in order to beat his opposing players. Using the virus, the player was apparently able to view the hands of his opponents, and then bet accordingly. By playing high stakes Pot Limit Omaha at an Austrian casino, he was able win $390,000 from two players.

The cheater successfully beat well-known poker champions such as Ilari Sahamies, Nicki Jedlicka, Juha Helppi, and Patrik Antonius. The rare defeat caused his opponents to get together and seek him out. They found him in a hotel room and forced him to “confess.” Though, when arrested by the police, he did not admit to any cheating or fraud.

The cheater clearly wasn’t smart enough to loose enough to hide his cheating. Generally speaking, if a player is winning at an abnormal pace, the casino will investigate if cheating is involved. However, in this case, the others players themselves were able to pick up on it.

Casinos go through great efforts to prevent cheating. The element of trust is a major element in poker. If players don’t trust that the game is fair they simply won’t play. The basic premise upon which the game stands is that everyone is on equal footing. Episodes like this one often distance potential players from joining online casinos and depositing money. The hope is that this cheating player will be properly prosecuted for his dangerous actions which undermine the basic foundations of gaming.